'I hope you will excuse me, Mr.
Caldigate.' 'I am sure you will not say anything that I cannot excuse.' 'Don't you think--' Then she paused.

She had looked into his face again, and was so little satisfied that she did not dare to go on.

He would not help her in the least, but stood there looking at her, with something of a smile stealing over the hardness of his face, but with such an expression that the smile was even worse than the hardness.
'Were you going to speak to me about another lady, Mrs.Callander ?' 'I was.

That is what I was going to speak of--' She was anxious to remonstrate against that word lady, but her courage failed her.
'Then don't you think that perhaps you had better leave it alone.

I am very much obliged to you, and all that kind of thing; and as to myself, I really shouldn't care what you said.